Their babies come in pairsFamily adds fifth set of twins

August 07, 2011

Four sets of twins pose at a party July 31. Pictured are, from left, twins Nicole and Noah Hanlon holding Paislee and Graedy Herron, respectively, and twins Ben Smith and Brooke Shook holding Brooke's twins, Leighton and Lani Shook. The occasion was Leighton and Lani's first birthday.

The power of two. Cheryl Smith, of Mishawaka, knows a lot about twins because they are everywhere. It all started with her grandmother, Fay Claeys, of Mishawaka. Fay had a twin brother.

Then Cheryl had twins, Ben and Brooke. Cheryl's sister, Christy Hanlon, of Osceola, had twins, Nicole and Noah Hanlon. Cheryl's daughter Brooke (who is now a Shook) had twins, Lani and Leighton.

And now Cheryl's younger daughter Linzy Herron had a set of you know what -- Paislee and Graedy. That set is 6 weeks old.

That's a lot of twins. They've all been fraternal and healthy. There is a feeling by everyone in the family that when there is a pregnancy -- it will produce two. Although everyone feels blessed, they are all a little gun-shy about the next round.

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And speaking of delivering babies. Melaura Jayne, of South Bend, can do it on her own. Back in June, her second child entered the world quite fast -- like in the car.

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She said they were driving to Elkhart to the hospital when her water broke on the way. They got to the hospital and her husband, Matthew, went in for help. But the little guy's head was already coming out.

Although Matthew rushed in, the hospital staff didn't quite understand the gravity of the situation. "Then five or six came out and then another set with a gurney," Melaura said.

However, by then Colin Avery, had made his full appearance and was sitting on her chest. "Two pushes and he was out. I was really scared. He came out and I caught him."

The staff let her cut the umbilical cord because she did the rest anyway.

Colin is fine along with mom, dad and big brother Henry.

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A report card, of sorts. Several months ago, we reported that Kayla Wiggins, 5, of Medical Lake, Wash., has been going through a rough time with cancer.

She is the great-granddaughter of Ron and Nancy Wiggins, of Mishawaka, and the great-niece of Phyllis Osborne, of South Bend.

Her mom, Kimra Wiggins, wrote a thank-you message. "Who knew that so many people would open their hearts to make Kayla smile. She has received hundreds of cards in the past six months. We would like to thank everyone."

There have been stickers, gum, pictures, notes and prayers from schoolchildren, Purdue students, medical and dental offices, church groups, the Red Hat Society, Miss Hoosier Heartland, Notre Dame, Jim Davis and Garfield, men, women and even a dog or two.

"Your kindness and support have meant the world to Kayla," Mom said. Her daughter is currently on two cancer trials to help keep the disease from returning. "She is an amazing little girl and a true princess."

Her address is 625 S. Pineview Drive, Medical Lake, WA 99022.

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The U.S. Navy held a Disestablishment Ceremony at the Great Lakes Hospital Corps "A" School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois on July 28. Attending this event was Bob Eberlein, of Granger, who attended the school during the Vietnam War. Bob was a medic aboard the USS Nitro AE-23 and at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital during the late 1960s.

Navy medics will now be trained along with Army and Air Force medics at the Medical Education and Training Campus at Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio.

If you have news about people or an interesting tidbit, send it to metrocommunity @sbtinfo.com or phone 574-235-6233.